JBC Author: Jeff Bender

08 Nov @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

When Jeff Ben­der’s child Court­ney, who was assigned male at birth, asked for her first dress at one and a half years old, all Jeff saw was the smile and delight on his child’s face. Lit­tle did he know that he and his fam­i­ly were about to embark on a journey of learn­ing, growth, and accep­tance that would include issues sur­round­ing cloth­ing, bath­rooms, and sports teams.

Par­ent­ing in today’s world is challenging, but par­ent­ing a gen­der-non­con­form­ing or gen­der-ques­tion­ing child can be con­fus­ing as well. Jeff opens up about his fam­i­ly’s expe­ri­ences with hon­esty and com­pas­sion, detail­ing the strug­gles and joys of par­ent­ing two gen­der-flu­id chil­dren. Along with his own sto­ry, Jeff shares the viewpoints of oth­er par­ents, grand­par­ents, and even his own wife.

Appar­el Has No Gen­der also pro­vides guid­ance for par­ents want­i­ng to learn more about gen­der iden­ti­ties and expres­sion. Any par­ent will ben­e­fit from Jef­f’s lessons on how to grow in under­stand­ing and par­ent with uncon­di­tion­al love and support.

This JBC book talk will be presented via Zoom only. The Zoom link was published in the November 6 email. If you can’t find that email, please email Rabbi Weiss ASAP for the link.